used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It must have been a long ways to fall--or so it had seemed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It must have been a long ways to fall--or so it had seemed.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
catapultedverbUS /ˈkætəpʌltɪd/
past form of “catapult” — shoot forth or launch, as if from a catapult
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
cavitynounUS /ˈkævəti/
a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
centernounUS /ˈsɛn.tər/
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
crashedverbUS /kræʃt/
past form of “crash” — fall or come down violently
From this reading He finally crashed upon something hard.
crustnounUS /krʌst/
the outer layer of the Earth
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
let fall to the ground
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
endlessadjectiveUS /ˈendləs/
tiresomely long; seemingly without end
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
EternitynounUS /ɪˈtɜːrnəti/
time without end
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading It must have been a long ways to fall--or so it had seemed.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading He finally crashed upon something hard.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He finally crashed upon something hard.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It must have been a long ways to fall--or so it had seemed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
interioradjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtɪriər/
situated within or suitable for inside a building
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It must have been a long ways to fall--or so it had seemed.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It must have been a long ways to fall--or so it had seemed.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must have been a long ways to fall--or so it had seemed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
precipitatingadjectiveUS /prɪˈsɪpəteɪtɪŋ/
bringing on suddenly or abruptly
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It must have been a long ways to fall--or so it had seemed.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He finally crashed upon something hard.
StygianadjectiveUS /ˈstɪdʒiən/
hellish
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He finally crashed upon something hard.
volcano'snounUS /vɑːlˈkeɪnoʊz/
possessive form of “volcano” — a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt
From this reading The thin crust of the volcano's mouth had broken through, precipitating him into the deep, hollow interior.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading It must have been a long ways to fall--or so it had seemed.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Through the Stygian gloom he fell in what seemed to be an endless drop.
at the time that
From this reading _Eternity or Death_ He was well in the center of the cavity when the soft ground beneath him gave way suddenly and he catapulted below into the darkness.
